Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the (a) purpose and (b) function is of the 10 Downing Street data science team.

The purpose of 10 Downing Street Data Science Team is to ensure that the best available data and evidence is available for use in government decision making, in particular to advise the Prime Minister, other senior ministers and senior civil servants.

The function of the team is to build predictive models, to assess metrics and to provide advice on the evidence base for policy making; and to track and monitor delivery of government priorities. We use data from government departments, other public sector bodies and open source data.